Mead library moves with times, fund pressures

To a post-modern ear, the claim by Mead Public Library Director Garrett Erickson may sound like a mistake.

"We have 100 people through the gate each hour," Erickson repeats, as do the library's other proponents.

Sure enough, during the course of two hours Friday afternoon, people are constantly streaming through the doors of the downtown library. Not just for the book sale going on or for Internet service. Teenagers congregate in their dedicated space, moving past the older patrons reading silently at their desks, just a short distance from those studying or getting tutoring in the silent room.

The library isn't merely straddling two media landscapes, they're starting to redefine what it means to be a library. But while they're reshaping their vision, they remain cautious of what's on the horizon from the city itself.

No longer just books

Above the beige and brick that characterizes the first floor and second floor is a multicolored classroom with polka-dots on tables and, today, more than a few teenagers hard at work on their own projects — some working on circuitry, others on computers. A dedicated and curious contingent are huddled around a 3D printer to see what plastic designs they can bring to life.

And while its exclusively their domain, it's not limited to the third floor. Directly below that classroom — accessible via a spiral staircase the kids suggested — is another teen reading center complete with bean bag chairs and a mesh-design wall that sort of screams "no adults allowed."

But while the changes on the third floor are numerous, they're far from the only thing the library has done. They range from the practical (automated book checkouts, online media download services) to the whimsical (converting a portion of the first floor to a defacto coffee lounge, complete with recorded jazz music.

And it seems to be working, at least somewhat. While the total number of materials being checked out has declined, usage of the building, its programs and e-content has risen year-to-year and looks on pace to surpass 2013 levels.

In a way, the library's biggest uncertainty isn't how it will adjust to the changing needs of the city — its how city leaders view its place among a developing downtown and shifting budget priorities.

City Hall and Mead

When the Sheboygan Press first reported in late 2014 that one of the options for a renewed City Hall was to move it into Mead Library, it caught Erickson and Library Board President Maeve Quinn by surprise. No one had told them of this option or discussed it with them beforehand.

"I was a bit stunned by that idea because I couldn't just fathom how that would work," Quinn said. "Because we were utilizing that space."

While they sought out a legal opinion on whether the city could unilaterally do that — the answer was "no, they need approval of the library's board" — the fervor seemed to die down after city leaders met with library officials and made clear it was only one of a few recommendations and that the city would be starting up the Building Use Committee to look at all their options.

Then Director of Public Works Dave Biebel submitted his own recommendation: Build an annex onto the front of Mead to serve as the future City Hall. It didn't hold off suspicion that the details were handed out at a meeting that, by all accounts, shouldn't have taken place — no meeting notice was posted and a quorum of the committee continued to talk for nearly 70 minutes before disbanding.

Quinn and Erickson then arrived with other library trustees and stakeholders at the next meeting, and heard nothing about the plan.

"Until I really hear what the real plan is, I feel like I don't have an opinion yet," Quinn said. "I just know that we're maximizing incredible usage of this incredible facility that citizens have made clear they want."

John Belanger, the chair of that committee, said the plan didn't come up because it wasn't an agenda item and they wanted to focus on how to handle City Hall if they moved and whether there was any chance that the current building could be reconfigured to make better use of the existing space.

When it comes to the library, he emphasizes that they're nowhere near deciding where City Hall will be in the future.

"I just think its unfortunate that the library board feels so threatened all the time and are so territorial and think that the council or the Building Use Committee would try to intentionally hurt the library," Belanger said.

Improved relations, but still cautious

While Quinn and Erickson still remain skeptical about where the committee might head, they both admit that relations with the city have improved in recent years.

As it stands, Mead Library receives $2.3 million of its annual budget from city property taxes, putting it on par with the city Parks Department.

The library has taken cuts in recent years, but was sheltered from the full weight of municipal shortfalls until 2011, libraries because up to then Wisconsin libraries were subject to a "maintenance of effort" requirement that said cities and counties had to maintain funding equal to the average of the previous three years. That was repealed as part of the 2011-13 state budget and cleared the path for significant budget cuts for the library.

The library kept its budget requests flat for 2016, but Quinn said that's unlikely to happen in 2017.

City Council President Don Hammond notes that every department is always asking for more funding, so the library's stand is nothing new. But he hopes that if there are concerns about the library and about the city's dedication or decision making with regard to the library, that they be upfront about it.

"I wish they would reach out and say, let’s have a conversation before all the rhetoric starts," Hammond said. "Because that [City Hall idea] is not, in my mind and I think the mind of other council members, the ultimate disposition or the ultimate decision."

Still pursuing changes

The library isn't done reconfiguring, regardless of what future budgets bring. It has planned an additional digital media studio for the teen center, hopes to automate some of its check-in systems to free up staff resources and still hopes to find a space for its Holocaust research center to make it more accessible to the public.

But Quinn reiterates that if the city can't provide more funding in 2017, there could be more cut backs in staff and, correspondingly, hours of operations.

"It's just not a sustainable way to continue to offer the services that our citizens are clear telling us they want," Quinn said.